Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Yeni Yüzyıl'da İletişim Çalışmaları Dergisi, cilt.2, sa.10, ss.100-116, 2024 (Hakemli Dergi)
This article examines the concept of commodification of the body and belief through the discourses in Netflix’s science fiction series Altered Carbon. The series is set in a future where human consciousness can be downloaded and stored as ‘cortical memories’ that can be transferred to different bodies or ‘synthetic bodies’. This technology creates a sharp class divide where rich ‘Meths’ can afford to take on multiple bodies and can effectively live forever, while poor ‘synthetic bodiless’ are often relegated to menial jobs or even used as disposable labor. The article argues that Altered Carbon’s depiction of the commodification of the body and belief raises important questions about the ethics of technology, the nature of identity, and the meaning of life. In evaluating these questions, the intersection of theories regarding concepts such as biopower and biopolitics with the practice of the universe of the series is also examined. The program suggests that without caution, obsession with technology could lead to a future where humans are nothing more than commodities to be bought and sold.